Tipple.



No. 811,486. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

c. R. CONNOR.

TIPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN/1,1905.

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3 /6 '5 A5" -51 T J Quuaul'oz Wax/e513. Uta/227w" No. 811,486. PATENTEDJAN. 30, 1906.

U. R. CONNOR.

TIPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-4, 1905.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J 2 7 29 g a l NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. CONNOR, OF ENSLEY, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAMD. CALDWELL, OF ENSLEY, ALABAMA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN W. WILKES, OFJEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

TIPPLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

To on whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CI-IARLEs R. CONNOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ensley, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama,have invented new and useful Improvements in Tipples, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to means for automatically dumping loaded cars,one object of the invention being to provide a gravity-runway for thecars and an automatic tipple which is tilted when the cars run thereonand automatically brings into operation means for stopping the car andopening the door I 5 thereof to dump the load, and also projecting stopsto prevent a following car from running onto the occupied tipple, meansalso being provided for restoring the tipple to its normal positionafter the load is dumped to permit.

the car to pass beyond the dumping-point for return to theloading-point.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and effective meansfor restoring the tipple to its normal position, whichlnay 2 5 beweighted to suit the weight of the cars employed, and generally tosimplify and improve the construction and increase the practicalefficiency of devices of this character.

With these and other objects in view the 0 invention consists of thefeatures of construction, combination, and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which 3 5 Figure 1 is a side elevation of arunway and tipple embodying my invention, showing a car descending therunway and about to pass upon the tipple, the parts being in normalposition. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 8 of Fig. 2,showing the car upon the tipple and the latter tilted to dump the load.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the car and tipple elevatedafter dumping the 5 load to permit the car to travel down the runwaypast the dumping-point. Fig. 5 1s a vertical cross-section taken on theline 5 5 of Fig 4. Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6 6 ofFig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a front end elevation of a car.

' Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a frameor elevated structure comprising standards or uprights 2,

arranged at the sides thereof and at suitable distances apart, sills 3,supporting said uprights, cross-ties or pieces 4, supported by theuprights, longitudinal side bars 5, suitably secured to said cross-tiesor uprights, also longitudinal braces 6, extending between and suitablyconnected to adjacent sills, and intermediate longitudinal rails 7,secured to the uprights, which parts may be of any preferredconstruction and bolted or otherwise secured together.

Side rails 5 are arranged to form an inclined track-bed, and upon thecross-ties 4, Which form part of said bed, are laid rails 8 and 9,forming an inclined runway down which cars may pass by gravity from anelevated loading-point to a dumping-point at a level therebelow and at asuitable distance therefrom. The rails 8 extend continuously from theloading-point and are there separated from the rails 9, which latterlead from the dumping-point to a return portion of the 7 5 trackway,(not shown,) whereby the cars may be run back or hoisted in any approvedmanner to the loadingpoint.

In the space between the adjacent ends of the rails 8 and 9 is arranged.a tipple or tilting platform 10, comprising two parallel longitudinalsills or side bars 11, which may be suitably connected and braced andupon which is laid a flooring 12, carrying track-rails 13, which areadapted to aline with the rails 8 8 and 9 when the tipple is in itsnormal position. The upper or rear ends of the side bars 11 are suitablypivoted, as indicated at 14, to the side bars 5 or some other suitablepart of the frame 1, so as to permit the tipple to swing in a verticalplane, and at their free ends the side bars 11 are connected by ametallic cross bar or piece 15, provided with extended ends 16, whichare offset, as shown in Fig. 6, to project beneath and bear against 5the side beams 5 and form stops to limit the upward swing of the freeend of the tipple. To the said stops or extended ends of the bar 15 areattached ropes or cables 17, which pass rearwardly over pulleys 18 atthe sides of the frame 1 to a point in rear of or above the tipple andsupport at their upper or rear ends a counterbalancing-weight 19,consisting of a box or other suitable receptacle in which earth, stones,or other weighty material may be placed to counterbalance the weight ofthe tipple 10 and an unloaded car resting thereon and to automaticallyswing the table back to its normal position. By the employment of a boxor receptacle in which the weights may be freely placed the action ofthe counterweight may be quickly and conveniently regulated to adapt itto operate under different conditions of service and to compensate forthe weight of various kinds of cars or cars varying materially inweight. It is proposed to so weight the box or receptacle that it willpermit a loaded car on the platform to tilt the platform down and torestore the car and platform to normal position after the load has beendumped.

Each of the rails 18 on the tipple is divided to forin-a slot or passage20, which alines with an opening, or passage below it in the flooring 12and is adapted to normally receive the upper end of a wheel chock orstop21. The wheel chocks or stops are fixed to a cross bar or beam 22,extending transversely of and secured to the frame 1 below the tipple,and saids'tops are curved longitudinally, so that when the tipple t1ltsor descends under the weight of a car they will project upwardly throughthe passages 20 and lie in the path 'of the forward wheels of the car,as shown in Fig. 3, thus holding the car from downward movement while itis being dumped. The stops are of such length or so arranged that whenthe tipple is in normal position the upper end of said stops will lie inthe passages 20 just beneath the heads of the rails, so that they willnot oppose interference with the passage of a car, but will permit anunloaded car to pass from the tipple onto the track-rails 9. Suitablysecured to and projecting rearwardly from the tipple are stop-bars 23,which when the tipple is in normal position lie below the plane of therails 8, but when the tipple is tilted downward are projected therebyabove said rails -to lie in the path of a following car and pre vent acar from passing from the upper portion of the runway onto the tipplewhen the latter is occupied.

The car 24 may be of any preferred construction, but as shown in thepresent instance is provided with a door 25, which is hinged or pivotedthereto at its upper end and carries a pivoted latch-lever 26 to engagea keeper baror block 27 whereby the door is held closed position. Thefree end of the lever swings in a guide 28 on the door and projectslaterally beyond one side of the car to form a trip-arm 29, which isadapted to be engaged and raised by a fixed striker or abutment 30 onone of the side beams 5 in proximity to the stop 21, whereby when thecar runs upon the tipple the latch will be raised, allowing the door toswing open and the load to dump through the open forward end of the carby gravity as the tipple descends.

The downward motion of the free end of the tipple is limited by thecounterweight 19, and the tipple is supported firmly in its loweredposition by the cross-beam 22. An inclined board or chute 31 is suitablysupported upon the frame 1 below the upper ends of the track-rails 9 andreceives the load dumped from the car, the load descending the same bygravity to the desired dumping-point or place of deposit.

In the operation of the device each loaded car passes from thetrack-rails 8 onto the tipple 10, which descends under the weight of theload thereof and causes the elevation of the counterweight 19. As thetipple begins to descend the stops 21 are projected upwardly and engagethe front wheels of the car, thus holding it from forward and back wardmovement, and at or about the same time the trip-arm 29 of thelatch-lever 26 engages the striker 30, thereby allowing the door 25 ofthe car to swing open and discharge the load. then the weight of theload is released from the 'car, the counterweight 19 restores the carand tipple to normal position, whereby the rails 13 are again broughtabove the plane of the stop 21, thus permitting the unloaded car to passfrom the tipple and descend on the track-rails '9 to the point where itis to be turned or again con ducted to the loading-point. The descent ofthe tipple when a loaded car passes thereon projects the rear stops 23,thus preventing more than one car from passing at a time onto thetipple. WVhen the tipple is restored to its normal position, the door 25of the car swings back, and the latch then gravitates to its normalposition and engages the keeper 27, thus locking the door closed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operation of myinvention will be clearly understood, and it will be seen that itprovides simple and e'fiective automatic means for dumping a load andpermitting the em tied car to pass beyond the dumping-point or return tothe loading-point, also that the parts are so constructed and arrangedas to simplify the unloading operation and prevent all liability ofaccidents caused by the passage of more than one car at a time to thetipple.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In anautomatic dumping means for cars, the combination of an inclined runwayhaving two portions, a tilting tipple having openings and arrangedbetween said portions and adapted to be tilted by the weight of'a carrunning thereon, stationary stop devices below the tipple adapted toproject through said openings and engage the car-wheels when the tippledescends, and means for restoring the tipple and dumped car to normalposition and permit the same to run from the tipple to thedumping-point.

In a dumping ap aratus for cars, the combination of an inclined runwayhaving two portions, a tilting tipple arranged between said portions andadapted to descend under the weight of the car passing thereon from theupper portion of the runway, stationary wheel-engaging devices broughtinto action by the downward movement of the tipple to hold the car fromdownward movement thereon, automatic means for discharging the load uponthe descent of the tipple, and means for automatically restoring thetipple and car to normal position after the load is dumped, the upwardmovement of the tipple disengaging the wheels from said wheel-engagingdevices, thus permitting the car to pass from the tipple to the lowerportion of the runway.

3. In an automatic car-dumping apparatus, a tilting tipple carrying astop projected rearwardly therefrom. when the -tipple is dumped toprevent a car from passing onto the tipple when the latter is loaded.

4. In an automatic dumping apparatus for cars, a frame havingtrack-rails, a tilting tipple, a stop adapted to project upward throughthe tipple when the latter descends to arrest the movement of a carthereon, and stops carried by the tipple and projectable above the railsto arrest a following car.

5. In an automatic dumping apparatus for cars, the combination of aninclined runway, a tilting tipple, stops limiting the upward movement ofthe tipple, and a counterweight coacting with said stops to return thetipple to normal position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. CONNOR.

Witnesses:

WILBER J. SYX. W. J. STACEY.

